For what it is, this is a very enjoyable book. The illustrations and photographs are lovely, providing a lot of inspiration for designs, colour combinations, and other more decorative aspects of gardening. This is why I bought the book, and it serves the purpose very well. However, Martha Stewart is not a gardener, and she has very little to offer that's new in terms of the actual practice of gardening. And as with all of her publications, there is far too much Martha: while I'm interested in seeing the layout of her different garden beds, I don't need her to be in each shot. I much prefer the shots of her dogs and cats actually enjoying the gardens. Her writing is easygoing and readable, but it's also rather self-satisfied. Any book that begins with "The garden on Turkey Hill Road is in repose...but I, the gardener, am not at rest" is bound to be rather pretentious. Ignore all that, and focus on the illustrations, which are beautiful.
